Maskerade: The pale woman smiles and clasps her hands together in joy at Staryu and Munchlax as they take a seat in front of her. You decide to take the spot offered next to her and prepare your listening ears. Something about her seems familiar, but it is hard to place. Perhaps someone you had seen in passing?

"The Stone Shrine has been here for many, many years..." She starts, looking of into the distance wistfully. As she speaks, Baltoy spins slowly. "This underground shrine was created by the people who were saved by Diancie, the one you see in the mural. Even in my time, that story was ancient history, but I have always found a comfort in this place. I met him when I was a very young girl, and he was always so intriguing to me. He was from far away -- I always wanted to travel you know --, and that red hair...!"
She looks at you, remembering. Munchlax and Staryu turn to look at you as well, and Munchlax points to your hair.
"That's right little one, I'm sure that's how Baltoy mixed you up. Anyway... He wouldn't even notice me at first, always lost in those books!"

You aren't sure if it is Baltoy projecting images into your head again, or because of her talent at storytelling, but you can see the scene play out. A teenage shrine maiden peeking around the corner of the Stone Shrine at a foreign visitor, being teased by a giggling older sister. She goes on and you can see the two of them talking, him teaching secret codes and her teaching poetry. Both of them blushing. Young, starcrossed lovers sneaking away to the isolation of the cave, discovering the secret of the torches on the wall. They look over the mural together in awe, hands interlocked.

"He left one day..." The woman's voice is so quiet, you have to lean in to hear her. Though the story has gotten sad, she still speaks as if it was the most wonderful thing to ever happen to her. "I always meant to go visit him, but I got so caught up with my responsibilities here at the Shrine. I always hoped he would come back, even if everything had changed."

Munchlax is sitting leaning foward with elbows on the ground and chin in his paws. Staryu looks just as interested, its gem sparkling. You had been so invested in the story until you did not notice that Bunnelby had joined the group and was snuggling up to the woman.
"You're kind to listen to an old woman," She looks at you and places a hand on yours. You can't feel it, but you understand the gesture. "Maybe I just needed someone else to know."

It goes dark again. You can sense that it is time to go. The Baltoy lights up and together with Bunnelby it leads you and your Pokemon out back out of the cave and to the entrance. The sun has almost set, the moon slowly rising in the sky. Baltoy spins back into the darkness of the cave and Bunnelby scampers off. A strong gust of wind blows by and you notice a small wrapped package at the entrance of the cave.

Rose Garden: A colorful garden that has been beautifully maintained. Roses among maybe other kinds of flowers of all sorts of colors and shapes make this scenic area a must-see for those who have come to sightsee. The fragrant aroma has made this garden the home for a number of species of grass and bug type Pokemon. The garden is home to one of the trial leaders for the Galea Foothills. (Please reply in springgreen)

He had considered lingering around the Stone Shrine and perhaps see what the resident "trial captain" had to offer in terms of a challenge, but he found himself growing bored of the dry, uneventful vistas and moved on to another area of the Garden, carried by Abaddon. Once the Aerodactyl flew over Rose Garden, however, Hush's interested was peaked once more, and he ordered the prehistoric dragon to land.

He was here not long ago... the 'War of the Roses', they called it. As if these Fizzytopian idiots know anything about war.

Once he dismounted, Abaddon was recalled into his Ball immediately. Hush treasured his angels, but he wasn't keen on the idea of showing his hand before the game had even begun. For now, he would explore the Rose Garden by himself.

A certain Lilligant was supposed to have won that little competition, if I recall from the intel I gathered. If only for that, I expected to see more signs of its influence in this garden... either that was all for show, or the Lilligant is just a weak ruler.

Dry and disillusioned as always, Hush pressed forward, ignoring the beauty of the blossoms that surrounded him. He had more than one reason for being here, but stopping to smell the roses wasn't one of them. Ultimately, he aimed to weed out all that remained of Heiml, even abroad, and to his knowledge, his cousin Rorik Holstadt had journeyed to this same location not long ago. But a more immediate goal was finding the Trial Captain who oversaw this Garden, the one responsible for hosting such a large-scale battle as the War of the Roses while still maintaining order and control over the region. That seemed like a Trainer worth meeting... and beating.

Such absolute freedom... Never had I needed something so badly and not realized it until I got it. I could get addicted to this... this feeling of total liberation.

As he kept walking, Hush burst out into laughter, lost in his thoughts. If anyone had crossed paths with him at that moment, they would've
called him crazy. And actually, they might've been right.

Stitches: Solemn jumped out of the water and came to you, obviously becoming worried by the urgency at which he was called over. You both watch the strange blue object being slightly jarred by the water rushing by. At your command, Solemn jumps back into the water and steadily builds up speed. He tucks himself into his shell and Tackles one of the rocks. It’s enough to chip the rock slightly and the round blue orb is dislodged. Your Squirtle seems proud of his work and looks over his shoulder at you. When he turns back, the orb is right in his face. Solemn reels back in shock, worried about what would happen if it touched him. The blue object suddenly bobbed under the water, and something larger and round popped up. Two big ears and small cute eyes revealed themselves from under the water. The Pokemon coughed and sputtered. Though it looked to be a Water-Type, it lacked gills and had swallowed a bit of water after being caught on that rock. You and Solemn had saved the poor thing!

The Marill’s face did not show relief and gratitude like you thought it might. Instead, it furrowed up its brows in anger and puffed up its cheeks. It reared back and then Tackled your Squirtle, sending him sliding back in the water. You watched as the Marill dived under the water and then jumped back out, landing on one of the rocks it had originally be stuck on. Solemn recovered from the sudden attack but was blasted with a Water Gun before he could do anything else.

Maskerade: As you land in the Rose Garden, you immediately notice it is rather quiet. Though new to the region, you were aware that this was a rather touristy area. The War of the Roses that had taken place a few months ago had brought record-breaking crowds to garden. The gardeners had barely finished re-sodding the grass that was trampled by the hundreds if not thousands of guests. You paid little attention to the foliage, though the smell of fertilizer was pretty hard to ignore. It was late in the afternoon, and Pokemon that enjoyed basking in the sun were retreating for the day as the shadows grew longer. A flock of noisy Spearow flew by, looking for a place to roost after a long day.

You pass a few tall hedges, one sculpted in the form of a Torterra, a bonsai used as the Grass-types signature tree on its back. There are several more sculpted hedges, but lost in thought you do not take time to think about what they might be. You break the peaceful silence with a laugh, stepping between two rather tall hedges. Your laugh is echoed by a much higher pitched giggle. You’ve almost bumped into someone. A young girl, several inches shorter than you, with a relaxed look on her face. Her blonde hair falls gently past her shoulders and over a white sundress. She holds a sunhat in her arms, almost like hugging a pillow. You notice a pinkish glow about her, and smoke twirling around her ankles. A pink and purple Pokemon is floating by her side, fast asleep, but very much aware that you nearly knocked over its trainer.
“Looks like we found a trainer on our walk today, Ole,” The girl smiles with closed eyes. Her Musharna hums a low note of acknowledgement. “Aren’t we lucky…” She trails off, and you notice the entire interaction she hasn’t looked at you at all. She turns, and heads in the direction of a gazebo with vines delicately wrapped around its columns. Her Musharna follows, emitting a trail of pink, swirling smoke.

Patches:With Soji the Stufful now officially a part of the team, Patches sought out a place to heal and rest her Pokemon before continuing her journey. Fortunately, as she and her Pokemon left the fighting ring behind, they came upon a marked trail that seemed to lead to a ranger’s cabin in the distance. It was a struggle for Mio to keep her trainer from wandering off the trail and into the open plains, but eventually the wooden house was spotted in the distance.

Once inside, Patches found it to be empty, but the Pokemon healing machine was pretty self-explanatory. As she waited for the machine to do its work, Patches spotted an open kitchen, stocked full of food for people and Pokemon alike. It would probably be best if she took the time to whip up a meal for her and her team before setting off on a new adventure.

A soft “ding” indicated that the healing machine had finished restoring Patches’ Pokemon, so now was as good of a time as ever to bring everyone out to share some lunch. As they ate, Patches took note of a few posters on the wall. They were almost like travel advertisements, pointing to several prominent tourist attractions of the Cloud Garden. There was the renowned waterfall, a dense forest, a fruitful farm, a beautiful yet ancient shrine, and the most vibrant flower garden one has ever seen. On top of that, there was a map detailing how to get to each of these areas, as well as an advert to take on the Cloud Garden’s trial challenges. After lunch was over, Patches would have a big decision to make. The mountain around her was open to explore; it was just now a matter of deciding where to start.

TheKnightsFury:Rockruff was not in a good state, and Jayson tried to alleviate that with some food and drink. The canine sniffed at the berry for a moment before turning away, eyes focused on the human trying to coax it out. It wasn’t ready to let down its guard just yet, and as Jayson approached it with a plushie in hand, the canine attempted to defend itself, baring its teeth and emitting a low growl. As Jayson’s hand got closer, Rockruff sunk its teeth into the Heatmor Plushie, ripping off its arm in the process. Jayson didn’t falter however, as this was to be expected. After a few moments of causing stuffing to fly about its hiding spot, the Rockruff finally calmed down a little.

As Jayson eased back and gave the creature some space, it quietly bit into the Sitrus Berry and lapped up some water. Rockruff took note of the trainer’s good intentions and inched its nose forward to get a sniff of Jayson’s hand. While it was still wary and wouldn’t hesitate to defend itself at a moment’s notice, Rockruff got to its feet and limped out of its hiding place. As Ajax shined his light on the dog, Jayson could see that its leg wasn’t in a good state. It was better than his initial fears however, as he gently reached out and felt it. Rockruff flinched, clearly favoring the limb and not pleased with the prodding. At the very least, Jayson could tell that the leg wasn’t broken; but badly sprained and bruised.

From here, Jayson would need to figure out how to get out of the cave in order to seek proper medical attention for Rockruff. This cave was like a labyrinth to those without proper illumination, so the rest would fall on Ajax’s shoulders. The Chespin’s light was still dim, but Jayson was able to make out two different paths; one to the left and one to the right. Which way will he go?

Naruxami:Isaac and Vinny’s tasty lunch as well as the handsome ranger were now in the rearview mirror as they trekked across the plains, heading eastward towards Galea Town. Isaac had been fortunate enough to escape this incident without a citation, and more importantly his life, and to top it all off, he now had a killer story to tell someday in the future. After a short while of walking, their new destination was now in sight; a place that would hopefully be devoid of bears or anything else of the like. Isaac was one to pamper his beloved Leafeon, and if she wanted to stop to smell the roses, then that’s what they were going to do.

The Rose Garden was an architectural masterpiece; renowned for its masterful landscaping and flawless upkeep by some of the best gardeners in all of Fizzytopia. Being located so close to town, the garden was really an ideal tourist spot as people travelled across continents just to view it in person. As Isaac and Vinny entered the garden, Vinny was drawn to the myriad of colors that filled each flowerbed. They headed deeper into the garden, enamored by the tall sunflowers that gazed down at them, each one shining nearly as brightly as the sun above.

Continuing their stroll through the garden, Isaac spotted a teenage girl toiling away as she ripped weeds up from a flowerbed. There was something out of place about her, which Isaac determined to be her clothing. The girl sported a long pink ponytail held up by a scrunchie on the side of her head while she wore some trendy and stylish clothing; a white blouse with a black skirt and a pink sweatshirt tied around her waist. She wore a frilly pink plaid apron to prevent her clothes from getting dirty and had a pair of matching gloves on her hands. A number of accessories and jewelry completed the look that made her appear more like an idol than a gardener.

As the girl turned around to see who the passerby was, her jaw dropped. “Ohmygod, ohmygod,” she whispered, covering her mouth with her hands. In seemingly the blink of an eye, the girl had ripped off her apron and gloves, pulled a compact mirror out of her purse to make sure her makeup hadn’t run, and whipped out her cellphone, covered in a pink case with a few decorative straps dangling from one of the corners. “Ugly Casanova? Is that really you?” she gasped, getting to her feet as she called out Isaac’s old stage name. “I am like, I huge fan of yours! I have all of your albums!” The girl blushed and straightened out her skirt before fixing her hair. “My name is Peony; I’m a gardener here. What brings you to the Rose Garden? If you don’t mind, could I get a selfie with you pretty please?” The girl was going a mile a minute as she could barely contain her excitement. So much so that she didn’t notice some of the weeds in the flowerbed rustling as an Oddish emerged, ready to attack the one who was disrupting its slumber.

Location: Life and love make fools of us all. Gods reject the existence of love and life.

Posts: 1,595

Quote:

Originally Posted by morningstar

Raves: You settle in with your Pokemon, deciding to take in the peace and beauty of your surroundings rather than concern yourself with the group of youths nearby. Your Garchomp gives them an exaggerated smile and wave, to which you hear them laugh and scoff. After they see that you and your Pokemon are not going to pay any attention to them, they lose interest quickly. One of the girls starts to climb a nearby tree and the others cheer her on and tease her about falling.

You are able to block the noise out, especially with the sound of the river rushing by. Totsuka rifles through the basket of goodies and pulls out her share of biscuits. Caladbolg dives to the basket next and after some shuffling of the contents, he cries out in shock and anger. He pulls out up a biscuit that has clearly been torn in half. The Shadow Zangoose is immediately accused, but she shows him that she really has only taken two, whole biscuits. You take a look yourself and try to deduce what could have happened to the other half of the biscuit. There aren’t any Pokemon or people nearby, and you know that your Pokemon would have noticed if some kind of Flying type had come down and snatched it. The only thing that seems out of place is one of the bushes nearby. If you look closely you can tell it has been disturbed, there are several leaves on the ground and a small hole where something must have gone through. On top of that, you hear a loud outburst of laughter from the teens again, and one of them has just returned something into a Pokeball.

The plan of ignoring the teens was easy enough for Alex and Golestandt, while Totsuka remained neutral. Cal's response was met with laughter, but after some time the teens lost interest, a good thing to Alex. The last thing he wanted was any trouble, just a nice bit of relaxation before they made plans for the mountain. As the Zangoose dove into the basket, the dragon was quick to remind her of her quota of biscuits, to which the shadow pokemon gave a half-hearted grunt, well aware of how quickly the Garchomp changed when anything was stupid enough to mess with his food.

As she took her share, Cal quickly dived into the basket as the human sank teeth into a sandwich, but his tranquil mood soured on an all too familiar cry of shock from the pseudo legendary. With both claws grasping, the Mach pokemon pulled out a biscuit that had been snapped in two, looking at Totsuka in accusation. The Zangoose merely raised her brow, and the two biscuit quota she had. "Perhaps it snapped in half during transit?" Alex quizzed as he leaned forward and dug gauntlet into the basket to look for himself, only to discover there was no other half. As he scratched his head, the automaton turned its own to a nearby bush. Ever vigilant, the Golurk noticed the bush was disturbed, loose leaves and dirt evidence of something digging, and as an outburst of laughter caught the group's attention, Alex caught sight of one of the teens recalling something into a ball.

To say Caladbolg was upset would be accurate, and as the Golurk motioned towards the hole, it hit the trainer. "Seems we've got some jokers in the midst..." he sighed, as he reached for the tea flask, only to be stopped by the cold stare of the shadow pokemon. Totsuka did two thing well: nothing, and pranks, and she had just been showed up by some nobodies. She was seething, and this intimidated Alex. As he backed off, he shrugged at his dragon in apology, yet as the normal type examined the scene, she found a way to retaliate for this amateur work.

Gesturing to Alex, the Zangoose pushed the flask towards him, and a short moment later she had a cup of hot tea. Taking a sip confirmed indeed that it was hot. Feigning pain, she waved her paw in front of her mouth, before giving a mewl towards Cal, raising the cup between him and the tree that the girl was climbing. The Garchomp saw her eyes and instantly understood the pokemon wanted the tea cooled down. Taking a deep breath, Cal prepared to blow on the tea, failing to realise that he had taken a breath too much and that his breath would send the tea flying back, and the rest of the technique would generate a rather powerful gust of wind that'd surely give the climber of the tree a considerable case of turbulence. If these kids wanted a prank war, then the Zangoose would deliver, as she was ready to detect and evade the scorching hot liquid.

While these shenanigans were happening, Golestandt took a closer look at the bush and towards the other campsite. The machine's emotion control centre hummed, and he was ready for any escalation in trouble.

Maskerade: As you land in the Rose Garden, you immediately notice it is rather quiet. Though new to the region, you were aware that this was a rather touristy area. The War of the Roses that had taken place a few months ago had brought record-breaking crowds to garden. The gardeners had barely finished re-sodding the grass that was trampled by the hundreds if not thousands of guests. You paid little attention to the foliage, though the smell of fertilizer was pretty hard to ignore. It was late in the afternoon, and Pokemon that enjoyed basking in the sun were retreating for the day as the shadows grew longer. A flock of noisy Spearow flew by, looking for a place to roost after a long day.

You pass a few tall hedges, one sculpted in the form of a Torterra, a bonsai used as the Grass-types signature tree on its back. There are several more sculpted hedges, but lost in thought you do not take time to think about what they might be. You break the peaceful silence with a laugh, stepping between two rather tall hedges. Your laugh is echoed by a much higher pitched giggle. You’ve almost bumped into someone. A young girl, several inches shorter than you, with a relaxed look on her face. Her blonde hair falls gently past her shoulders and over a white sundress. She holds a sunhat in her arms, almost like hugging a pillow. You notice a pinkish glow about her, and smoke twirling around her ankles. A pink and purple Pokemon is floating by her side, fast asleep, but very much aware that you nearly knocked over its trainer.
“Looks like we found a trainer on our walk today, Ole,” The girl smiles with closed eyes. Her Musharna hums a low note of acknowledgement. “Aren’t we lucky…” She trails off, and you notice the entire interaction she hasn’t looked at you at all. She turns, and heads in the direction of a gazebo with vines delicately wrapped around its columns. Her Musharna follows, emitting a trail of pink, swirling smoke.

Well would you look at that.

In front of him, as if she was just another part of the nauseatingly idyllic scenario, was a little blonde girl accompanied by her Pokémon. She herself seemed to be a bundle of all of youth's virtues, an amalgamation of happiness, innocence and freedom. The kind of traits the world loves to take from you, chew and spit back out at your feet when you become an adult.

Not that Hush had planned on acknowledging the kid, but even if he had, she didn't even look at him as she passed, despite knowing he was there. That, in itself, was enough to peak Hush's interest - perhaps the girl's existence wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, despite her vomit-inducing aura of peacefulness.

I shouldn't be wasting my time with children; they got plenty of time to figure out just how cruel this world really is by themselves, without me around to shatter their dreams. My business here is with the trial captain of Rose Garden, the only one who might keep me entertained...

But still, despite his inner reasoning, he found himself stopping and following the girl and Musharna with his eyes. The two seemed to be headed to a delicately-decorated gazebo further down the garden...

... Ah, screw it! I have to know what that was about. If there really is a droplet of despair to be found in that seemingly perfect existence!

With that, Hush followed the girl and her dream-inducing partner from a distance...

TheKnightsFury:Rockruff was not in a good state, and Jayson tried to alleviate that with some food and drink. The canine sniffed at the berry for a moment before turning away, eyes focused on the human trying to coax it out. It wasn’t ready to let down its guard just yet, and as Jayson approached it with a plushie in hand, the canine attempted to defend itself, baring its teeth and emitting a low growl. As Jayson’s hand got closer, Rockruff sunk its teeth into the Heatmor Plushie, ripping off its arm in the process. Jayson didn’t falter however, as this was to be expected. After a few moments of causing stuffing to fly about its hiding spot, the Rockruff finally calmed down a little.

As Jayson eased back and gave the creature some space, it quietly bit into the Sitrus Berry and lapped up some water. Rockruff took note of the trainer’s good intentions and inched its nose forward to get a sniff of Jayson’s hand. While it was still wary and wouldn’t hesitate to defend itself at a moment’s notice, Rockruff got to its feet and limped out of its hiding place. As Ajax shined his light on the dog, Jayson could see that its leg wasn’t in a good state. It was better than his initial fears however, as he gently reached out and felt it. Rockruff flinched, clearly favoring the limb and not pleased with the prodding. At the very least, Jayson could tell that the leg wasn’t broken; but badly sprained and bruised.

From here, Jayson would need to figure out how to get out of the cave in order to seek proper medical attention for Rockruff. This cave was like a labyrinth to those without proper illumination, so the rest would fall on Ajax’s shoulders. The Chespin’s light was still dim, but Jayson was able to make out two different paths; one to the left and one to the right. Which way will he go?

It took some time, but eventually the tenacious little Rockruff warmed up to him. After tearing apart the plushie, the little rock puppa trusted him enough to eat the berry he had presented it with as well as lap up some of the water. With the increased trust, he was able to get a better look at the Rock type's leg, as it limped out of its hole it was clear the injury wasn't as severe as he had expected. The leg was badly bruised and strained, an injury Jayson was familiar with. The best thing for it would be rest, but that wasn't really an option here. The only option he had was to hopefully compress the limb and restrict the swelling. Without bandages, Jayson had only one option, to sacrifice his shirt.

"Arceus damn it", he groaned, "this is one of my favourite shirts." Jayson reluctantly ripped a long strip of fabric off the bottom of his shirt. Kneeling down again, Jayson showed the makeshift bandage to the Rockruff, allowing it to smell it before moving around to secure it around the injured limb. Looking over to Ajax, he could see the Chespin was doing his best to illuminate the room. Unfortunately, all they could make out were two tunnels. "Tomoe", Jayson called out to the Wimpod, "scout ahead down the tunnel on the right, we'll be right behind you." The Wimpod scurried off, not too concerned with the dark. "Rightio little fella, I need to tie this around your leg, it might hurt to start with but it should make it feel a bit better and make it easier for you to walk." Jayson hoped the Rockruff wouldn't lash out at him, the last thing he needed was his arm ripped off.

Raves: Totsuka had come to the conclusion that this clearly was a prank sent by the rowdy group of teens. Though you still were of the opinion to pay them no mind, your Shadow Zangoose was stirred up enough to start taking revenge. She grabbed the thermos of tea and quickly roped her Garchomp companion into assisting her. Cal took a deep breath in and Blew-back a rather intense gust of wind. Totsuka, senses heightened with Detect, jumped back a bit as a wave of scorching tea splashed over the side of the container and landed on to your picnic blanket.

The whirlwind soared through your campsite and over to the neighboring one. It rustled the boughs of the tree violently. There was a brief shriek and a thud as the girl climbing the tree lost her grip on the shaking tree and hit the ground.
“Which one of you did that!!” The girl pulled herself up and dusted herself off, angrily looking at her mates. “Ugh, look!” She showed them her arm, a large gash running up the length between her wrist and her elbow.
“Wasn’t me!” One of the boys held up a Pokeball. “Staravia was in his ball the whole time, I swear.”
Each of the youngsters defended themselves, confused as to what had just happened. After a moment, it clicked, and they turned to look over at you and your Pokemon.
“HEY!” The girl who had fell yelled. She was stomping over to your campsite, retrieving a Great Ball from a pouch on her waist. “What the hell, are you looking for a fight? I’ll destroy you!” Even though she was clutching her arm in pain, she looked furious, hair a wild mess from your Garchomp’s attack. Blood dripped down onto her torn jeans. She dropped the ball on the ground, and in a flash of light a Pignite appeared. The Fire-Fighting type blew a puff of smoke from its nostrils and locked eyes with Totsuka.

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Maskerade: The girl and her Musharna made their way up the steps of the gazebo. She looked to be floating herself with how lightly she stepped across the wooden planks. She took a seat on a fluffy cushion that lined the benches of the gazebo and put her hat back on. You enter the gazebo as well, drawn by her mysterious nature. There’s plenty of room for you to sit as well, but the girl doesn’t make any indication of whether or not you are welcome to do so.

“Hm…” The girl sighs. She absentmindedly runs her hand across some of the vines that wound themselves around the gazebo columns. The look in her eyes tells you that she is in some far-off day dream. Did she even remember you were still here? The Musharna floats by you, and as you get a whiff of its pink smoke you feel a sense of calmness. It hums another low note and releases more of the sweet-smelling smoke, and its making you feel rather tired. You yawn, and begin to find it hard to stand. Before you fall down, you take a seat on a nearby cushion, relaxing as you sink into it.
“You’re using Future Sight aren’t you…” The girl stands and approaches her Pokemon, placing a hand over the area that smoke is pouring from. “Tsk tsk, we haven’t even asked him yet.”
“Muuu…” The Musharna blushes a bit and floats away. The girl approaches you and give a small curtsey.
“I apologize, Ole sometimes gets ahead of himself.” She smiles and closes her eyes again. “You’re here for the trial? I must ask, will you allow my Musharna to assist you? I promise it won’t hurt, it’s quite nice really. We can’t start unless we’re in the right setting, you see.”

Missingno. Master - You were completely fed up. You've done so much to try and help this farm and you have gotten not a single thanks for your efforts and on top of that there has been a rather troublesome Aipom repeatedly making a fool out of you. Ringo was speechless as you began to yell and tell her off. She also had a lot of annoyance building up inside of her, as a teenager she didn't like it very much when adults tried to talk down to her but at the same time, she was completely lost for words. Even she had to admit to herself that a lot of this really was because of that Aipom, she wasn't blind after all.

Your shouting had gotten Aipom's attention, it had a pretty smug grin on its face as it wiped away a tear that had formed from the laughter. That was when it happened, your angry speech was now over and you suddenly threw a Nest Ball with all of your might, aimed right at the Aipom. Aipom of course, wasn't having any of that. It did a quick little cartwheel and your Nest Ball flew right on past it and was now just laying in the grass. Aipom was now attempting to contain another laughing fit and you were just beginning to come back to your senses, soon you'd realize how bad of an idea that was to begin with so it's probably not a bad thing that the plan failed. But then it happened.

Meanwhile, Miror knew that the Kricketune really needed saving and decided to take matters into his own hands. After asking Dudley for help, he began to dig through the grass with nothing but his bare hands. There was no way he was going to risk using an attack this time after how poorly every single little thing you've all attempted up to this point has backfired. Miror spends most of the time digging through the grass himself, it is only when Kricketune's head is revealed that Dudley had managed to finally get himself over there to help and that was only after a small nudge from Kenny. Working together, it took no time at all to pull Kricketune free. The poor bug type looked completely utterly exhausted. Dudley very carefully began to emit a Healing Pulse toward Kricketune, surely there was no way this could go wrong. At that moment, Aipom decided that it was time to play another one of its tricks. It quickly ran right up to the Nest Ball which had been laying in the grass and Flinged it right at Kricketune with the intention of forcing it inside of the ball before it could be healed. However, it was a moment too slow and while the ball was in the air the healing effects kicked in, making Kricketune extra alert. It saw the ball and immediately smacked it away. Right toward Aipom. Aipom had not expected this and didn't have the chance to react beyond a look of pure horror as the ball collided with it and pulled it in.

The ball shook and shook and shook. It was clear the Aipom was putting up a fight; however, despite still having a sense of humor, the Pokemon was weakened from everything that had occurred leading up to this point and the ball was also shut pretty tight. Too tight. The light fades and all that is heard is a sudden click as everyone had gone dead silent in utter disbelief at this moment. (Congratulations, Gavin captured a level 15 male Aipom with the move Fling!) There is silence for a good while, even the Kricketune isn't saying anything. You are all standing there staring at the Nest Ball that now contains Aipom, you're all even still uncomfortably soaked from the downpour earlier when finally, Ringo breaks the silence. "… Really…? You… Caught it…? Really?? You screamed about how it was ruining your life so much and then you go and catch it so that it's with you forever…" She's scratching her head as she tries to comprehend all of this. Then she begins to look around. "Well it seems that while we were busy with all of this, the rest of the Pokemon decided to leave." After hearing her comment you come back to your sense and look around you. Noticing the remains of smushed berries everywhere, as well as damaged trees and bushes in all directions, but there aren't swarms of Pokemon such as the Rattata's and Kricketot's from earlier. Even Kricketune was just calmly sitting on the grass next to the patch it was pulled from. "Well that's all well and good but it still doesn't explain how all of this even started in the first place… I'm worried they're going to come back…"

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Marion Ette - Your heart practically stopped as you saw Bia being lured by a fisherman's line. Nothing else mattered to you at this point, all you knew was that you needed to get Bia back, NOW. You yelled at the top of your lungs, it was heard from every direction around the Starline River and even into the Galea Plains. For a brief moment, all of the picnic goers and fisherman dropped what they were doing and there was nothing but dead silence, that is, with the exception of another kind of shout nearby. "W-w-w-wwwhooooaaa!" You glance behind you only to see the woman from before completely fall into the river, now all of her flyers were floating down it as she sat on her bum in the water, without even attempting to get up. She began sobbing pathetically as she sat there, as if her entire world was ending. It wasn't long before people began chatting amongst themselves again, ignoring the woman as well as you.

Bia was playfully dodging each flyer as she swam through the water and back to you. She seemed to find this whole dodging papers thing rather fun so she was intentionally staying in the water but at least she listened as she slowly returned. "Oh no you don't missy! If I'm goin' to fit in with the youngters of these days I've gotta catch me this here ultra rare. I don't know what kind o' spell you've put on it but I saw it first, fair n' square!" The old man who was trying to fish Bia out of the water earlier was clearly not okay with you taking away the Pokemon he had his sights set on. He then reached for his belt and threw a pokeball toward you. It popped open releasing a Magikarp who was now flopping in the grass beside the river. "Alrighty Mr. Lucky, Splash at that there lady. Go on ahead now." Bia was right beside you in the water at this point, chewing on one of the soggy flyers. You were now watching as this Magikarp was, very slowly, flopping in the grass and inching toward you in the least threatening way possible. It even appeared to be breaking a sweat as it attempted to Splash its way across the ground in your direction with a look on its face that almost seemed like it was contemplating all of its life decisions that had led up to this moment. The old man wasn't taking his eyes off of Bia and was getting ready to throw out his lure toward her again.

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myahoo - Samuel never stopped smiling as you thanked him and asked him for directions. "Ah, yes! Well, if you're headed for the Starline Waterfall so that you can reach the second level there is a cabin on the way and they will be able to heal your Pokemon more efficiently than I could." You listened as he explained, and it seemed to make sense. He finished by pointing toward a path that seemed to have been carved out between the trees leading away from his cabin. "Follow that trail and it will lead you right out to the Galea Plains where you will see a cabin in view as soon as you exit the forest. They'll take good care of your Pokemon for you over there!" With this new knowledge, you said your goodbyes and began to follow the trail as Samuel waved goodbye in the distance from where you started.

The trail wasn't very long, perhaps a couple of miles, but the terrain was flat so it wasn't much of an issue. The sun was, however, beginning to set since you've had quite a long day at this point. You were happy once you reached the Galea Plains, the darkness in the forest was starting to feel a tiny bit creepy and just like Samuel said, you could see a cabin in the not so far distance, it was even illuminated by the lights inside. You hurried on over to it and went inside, you spotted a female ranger behind the counter who was in the middle of blowing a bubble with some bubblegum and it popped the moment your eyes met. "Oh, hey. Wanna heal up?" She had a very laid back attitude, but you did come there for exactly that so you handed your Pokemon over. She quickly restored their health and returned them to you. "This place is pretty much self serve so help yourself to any brochures on the wall over there and if you wanna switch out any of your Pokemon you can use that PC. Also, we have guest rooms in the back if you wanna stay for the night." She seemed nice enough as she explained but the moment she was done she sat back in her chair and picked up a Pokemon fashion magazine and began flipping through it before you could even respond.

You glanced over at the wall that she had pointed out and one of the brochures caught your eye so you walked over and grabbed it to take a closer look. The brochure was all about how to get to the second level and that in order to climb the Starline Waterfall you will need a Pokemon with the Waterfall move which is taught by Marina Swift. As you casually looked over the brochure, you were faced with a decision of what you'd be doing next.

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Meetan - Your attention was now focused back on Nina, things were extremely chaotic but you weren't going to allow yourself to be distracted again. She was drenched in poison but she was still hanging on and wanting to be the one to take out this opponent, she wasn't about to let it get the better of her. She began to Flail her limps and charged toward Seviper. She smacked it multiple times before it decided to Bite down on one of her paws. She did her best to Endure the damage it caused, she could feel this would be her last chance, anymore hits and she was a goner. With Seviper still attached to her paw she began to Flail once again, this time whipping the snake through the air and smashing it back into the ground, upon impact it was knocked out and loosened its grip. (Nina gains 3 levels) Nina was out of breath and exhausted, she collapsed on the spot, still hanging on but just didn't feel the need to waste the last of her strength on standing. Axel had readied himself to take over for her and was nearby, but it seemed to not be needed after all. Seeing her exhaustion and having already prepared her ball in your hand you decided to return her so she could have some rest.

"Uncle! Uncle!" Greg was still excitedly yelling at the helicopter which had landed quite a bit ago. Ivan was on edge, looking at him it was a strange situation, he had a very brave face on but his hands were visibly shaking as he stared at the helicopter. "Billie." He said to the bear beside him. That was all the Ursaring needed to hear to know Ivan wanted you guarded again and so he walked over and began to hover next to you protectively once again. Axel joined you at your side, also feeling a bit protective. The Pokemon on the truck were slowly unloading, Duchess was conscious again and limping her way out while being supported by Franklin. The adult Skiddo even decided to make an appearance again, charging over the hill it was hiding behind to rejoin with the younger one. However, there wasn't much joy between the two, there was a serious sense of unease with that helicopter there.

The door to the helicopter finally popped open, everyone was tense as an extremely large and buff man in an immaculate suit exited the helicopter. He had a very stern face as he surveyed the ground, noticing the sludge and the crater that had been created. Even the Seviper owner seemed tense, the other man was trapped inside of the truck because of the damage Axel's Blow Back had caused earlier so you couldn't see him. Greg though, he seemed chipper as ever. "Uncle! I gathered a bunch of Pokemon for you just like you wanted!" The buff man's eye twitched out of frustration before he finally spoke while gritting his teeth to hold back his rage. "And what about the part where I said not to draw attention to yourself or the men you were put in charge of?" He gestured at the mess that was impossible to miss. Before Greg could respond, Ivan spoke up. "Who are you!? And what the HELL are you trying to pull by rounding up defenseless Pokemon!?" The man turned his attention toward Ivan for only a moment, a chilling grin spread across his face. "Whatever are you talking about sir?" He slowly approached Ivan while reaching into the pocket of his jacket. Ivan stood firm, not allowing the man to think he would back down. "Mandrake Industries. We are making a positive difference." The man pulled a business card out of his hand and pressed it into Ivan's chest and then glanced toward you and seemed to almost go into a trance as he stared at you long and hard. "Those features… Something about you is very familiar…"

"Boss! It's the police!" The Seviper owner shouts which snaps the man out of it. "Shit." The man says under his breath before shouting and grabbing Gregs arm. "Get into the damn helicopter, idiot!" Greg is thrown into the helicopter and the man gets in afterwards. "W-what about us, boss!?" The Seviper owner begins running toward the helicopter. "To hell with you." And with that, the doors on the helicopter slam shut and the blades begin to spin whipping wind everywhere as it takes off. You and Ivan finally spin around to see the police lights flashing in the not so far distance, the vehicles are driving across the grassy hills at great speed. The Seviper owner grumbles under his breath and returns his Seviper then takes off into the Cloud Forest nearby before either you or Ivan could react to stop him. The man in the truck was doing his best to kick out the window so he could make his escape as well but wasn't having any success.

"Damn!" Ivan shouts out of frustration. The police arrive and several jump out of each vehicle. "I'm pissed that basically everyone got away but I'm happy they're here, although I don't know who called them." Ivan was extremely annoyed at the situation. "Tortlllle!!" Franklin called out, holding Ivan's phone up in the air proudly. "Ah, so that's where my phone was! When did you learn how to call the cops?" Ivan of course didn't get an answer and walked over to talk with the cops who were in the process of arresting the trucker. "Wartortle!" Franklin was grinning ear to ear as he ran up and gave Axel a big hug out of celebration. Joe's Pokemon Tank was making its way over to his collapsed owner and the other Pokemon began to approach you. The Skiddo both began kicking and dancing in front of you with glee while Duchess was slowly limping her way close to you. Once she reached you, she gave you the biggest smile she could manage and you just knew she was thanking you from the bottom of her heart. And then, she fell to the ground right at your feet, finally done trying to hold herself up because she felt like she was finally safe now. Ivan appeared to be finished explaining everything that had happened to the police and was making his way back toward you. Joe was sitting on the ground with an officer speaking to him now. Meanwhile, you were standing in between everything while being completely surrounded by a bunch of Pokemon, you even still had Billie breathing down your neck.

Missingno. Master - You were completely fed up. You've done so much to try and help this farm and you have gotten not a single thanks for your efforts and on top of that there has been a rather troublesome Aipom repeatedly making a fool out of you. Ringo was speechless as you began to yell and tell her off. She also had a lot of annoyance building up inside of her, as a teenager she didn't like it very much when adults tried to talk down to her but at the same time, she was completely lost for words. Even she had to admit to herself that a lot of this really was because of that Aipom, she wasn't blind after all.

Your shouting had gotten Aipom's attention, it had a pretty smug grin on its face as it wiped away a tear that had formed from the laughter. That was when it happened, your angry speech was now over and you suddenly threw a Nest Ball with all of your might, aimed right at the Aipom. Aipom of course, wasn't having any of that. It did a quick little cartwheel and your Nest Ball flew right on past it and was now just laying in the grass. Aipom was now attempting to contain another laughing fit and you were just beginning to come back to your senses, soon you'd realize how bad of an idea that was to begin with so it's probably not a bad thing that the plan failed. But then it happened.

Meanwhile, Miror knew that the Kricketune really needed saving and decided to take matters into his own hands. After asking Dudley for help, he began to dig through the grass with nothing but his bare hands. There was no way he was going to risk using an attack this time after how poorly every single little thing you've all attempted up to this point has backfired. Miror spends most of the time digging through the grass himself, it is only when Kricketune's head is revealed that Dudley had managed to finally get himself over there to help and that was only after a small nudge from Kenny. Working together, it took no time at all to pull Kricketune free. The poor bug type looked completely utterly exhausted. Dudley very carefully began to emit a Healing Pulse toward Kricketune, surely there was no way this could go wrong. At that moment, Aipom decided that it was time to play another one of its tricks. It quickly ran right up to the Nest Ball which had been laying in the grass and Flinged it right at Kricketune with the intention of forcing it inside of the ball before it could be healed. However, it was a moment too slow and while the ball was in the air the healing effects kicked in, making Kricketune extra alert. It saw the ball and immediately smacked it away. Right toward Aipom. Aipom had not expected this and didn't have the chance to react beyond a look of pure horror as the ball collided with it and pulled it in.

The ball shook and shook and shook. It was clear the Aipom was putting up a fight; however, despite still having a sense of humor, the Pokemon was weakened from everything that had occurred leading up to this point and the ball was also shut pretty tight. Too tight. The light fades and all that is heard is a sudden click as everyone had gone dead silent in utter disbelief at this moment. (Congratulations, Gavin captured a level 15 male Aipom with the move Fling!) There is silence for a good while, even the Kricketune isn't saying anything. You are all standing there staring at the Nest Ball that now contains Aipom, you're all even still uncomfortably soaked from the downpour earlier when finally, Ringo breaks the silence. "… Really…? You… Caught it…? Really?? You screamed about how it was ruining your life so much and then you go and catch it so that it's with you forever…" She's scratching her head as she tries to comprehend all of this. Then she begins to look around. "Well it seems that while we were busy with all of this, the rest of the Pokemon decided to leave." After hearing her comment you come back to your sense and look around you. Noticing the remains of smushed berries everywhere, as well as damaged trees and bushes in all directions, but there aren't swarms of Pokemon such as the Rattata's and Kricketot's from earlier. Even Kricketune was just calmly sitting on the grass next to the patch it was pulled from. "Well that's all well and good but it still doesn't explain how all of this even started in the first place… I'm worried they're going to come back…"

Slowly, Gavin's rage subsided, allowing calmness and common sense to trickle back into his head. He looked at the Aipom, and he looked at the Nest Ball on the ground, and it dawned on him just what he'd attempted. "Whoa," Gavin breathed. "Dodged a bullet there, that's for damn sure..."

Except not really. Gavin really should have went and picked back up that Nest Ball when he had the chance, but rather, he chose to watch as Miror and Dudley freed Kricketune from the thick grass. And for once, something seemed to be actually going right for them. Surely there was no way Aipom could screw this one, up, right?

...Right?

Gavin almost instinctively turned to look at Aipom, and upon doing so, saw something that wiped any trace of a smile clean off his face. It was Aipom, grabbing the Nest Ball, and Flinging it at Kricketune! "Motherfu-" began Gavin, but before he knew what was happening, everything seemed to happen all at once. Dudley unleashed Heal Pulse. Kricketune was healed by Heal Pulse. Getting healed by Heal Pulse made Kricketune much more alert and aware. Fully aware of the Nest Ball flying its way, Kricketune smacked the ball, sending it flying away from it, and...

...right... towards... Aipom.

Gavin's eyes widened as he noticed this, gaining a similar look of horror to what the Aipom was wearing when it was sucked into the ball. Once again rendered speechless, Gavin could only watch as the Nest Ball shook wildly, displaying Aipom's clear reluctance to remain inside. And yet, despite Gavin's best hopes, the ball clicked shut.

Gavin didn't react as Ringo questioned his logic. He stared at the Nest Ball, mouth opening and closing like a Remoraid out of water. "...I was the last human to touch that Nest Ball," he said disbelievingly. "Which... which means... that now this Aipom belongs to me..." he groaned.

Miror picked up the Nest Ball containing his new teammate, and handed it up to Gavin. "Rrrractus," he said.

Gavin gave a deep sigh as he accepted the ball. "Well... I suppose now at least Aipom can't pull any more shit on this farm... Gah, I can't think about this right now," he sighed as he minimized the Nest Ball and clipped it to his belt. Instead, he turned to Ringo, who was remarking on the Pokémon possibly returning, and wondering how all this started in the first place. "Yeah, well, that's why I came here in the first place," said Gavin. "Met this weird old man out on the Galea Plains who was selling crap knockoffs of held items to Pokémon and charging them Nanab Berries for them. And he was really hyping this stuff up- I'm talking he was hyping up a bunch of rotten apple cores like they were some supercharged version of Leftovers. So yeah- plan A was to try and get the Pokémon to realize this was a scam. As you probably guessed by now, that was a flop. And... I'll be honest, I don't got a plan B here," he shrugged. "So right now, if you got any ideas, I'm all ears." As he spoke, Miror and Dudley returned to their Trainer's side. Neither of them could think of anything, and from the look in his eyes, neither could Kenny.

TheKnightsFury:After allowing Jayson to bandage up its leg with his ripped shirt, the Rockruff took a few shaky steps before gingerly sitting back down. It wasn’t going to be able to get very far in this state, but fortunately it could sense the trainer’s good intentions by now and allowed Jayson to carry it. With Ajax’s dim light, Jayson was able to make out two different paths to leave the cave. He sent Tomoe the Wimpod ahead to scout out the right path and they would follow shortly behind. Tomoe wasn’t able to venture off too far without stubbing her mandibles on a rock as visibility away from Ajax was just too difficult, so she remained as close to her trainer as possible.

As they walked down the path to the right, eventually the slope turned into a slight incline, and they finally came across the stone staircase that they had originally come down when entering the cave. Brimming with confidence that he was able to help guide the group down the right path, Ajax’s luminous bulb grew much brighter, so that they could see all around them. Congratulations, Ajax has successfully learned Flash! The group quickly ascended the stairs, where they found Madoka’s Lunatone hovering silently at the top, its watchful red eye having observed Jayson and his Pokemon from afar the entire time.

With an injured Pokemon still in hand, Jayson passed through the shrine building with little time to waste where he found Madoka back out on the front porch sweeping the shrine stairs. “Oh! You’re back already! Did something happen?” she asked while looking up. On either side of the staircase Madoka’s Lycanrocs continued to rest, but they both stared at Jayson as they picked up the Rockruff’s scent. The fur on both of their backs immediately bristled. Neither Lycanroc took an aggressive stance, but something about the young pup put them both on alert. “Oh my gosh, that poor creature, is it okay? Quick, let’s bring it back to my cabin so we can treat it,” Madoka added, leading the way. Lala the Midday Lycanroc remained on her pedestal ever-alert along with Lulu her Midnight-formed sister who was unusually awake for this time of day.

Once inside Madoka’s cabin, she quickly ushered Jayson over to a counter where she had him place the injured Rockruff. “There, there,” she cooed as she gently examined the extent of the injury. Fortunately the injury wasn’t nearly as bad as she initially thought, and so Madoka quickly sprayed Rockruff’s leg with a Super Potion. “A little bit of rest and it should be good as new!” Deciding it was best to not leave the wounded pup alone, Jayson volunteered to remain and keep watch over it while it rested. It wasn’t the most exciting way to spend the day, but Jayson was happy to nurse the creature’s injury. As the afternoon grew long, Madoka eventually returned to her cabin and volunteered to cook Jayson and his Pokemon some dinner.

The sun had begun to set when Rockruff finally roused from its slumber. It looked around at its surroundings and sniffed the air before testing out its leg. As it discovered that it was able to put pressure on its leg and move around freely, the Rockruff’s tail wagged excitedly. It scampered over to Jayson and gave him an appreciative lick on the leg. After sharing its thanks with Madoka as well, a tasty curry and rice dinner was served as well as some food for Rockruff and Jayson’s Pokemon. Once dinner was over, Madoka had begun to wash the dishes. Rockruff’s ears flattened backwards as it looked around nervously. It was at that moment that Jayson and Madoka heard a chilling and haunting sound echo across the mountainside.

Madoka immediately stopped what she was doing and rushed outside. Jayson and the others quickly followed. The sun was just finishing up its final moments of glimmering light as it disappeared beyond the mountain’s horizon. As the moon rose in the sky in the opposite direction, it had an eerie orange-reddish tint to it. Lulu and Lala were still on their usual stone pedestals, but they were both standing at attention, on complete alert. Neither of them joined in on the howl that continued to echo from up the mountainside. Rockruff immediately took off, its leg not bothered in the slightest anymore. “This isn’t good,” Madoka stated, biting her lip. “Something’s upset the balance of the mountain’s pack. From the look of Lulu and Lala, I think it might be best if I stay back and keep watch over things here at the shrine. You better hurry after Rockruff!” The small pup was fast, and it had already gone up the hiking trail that Jayson had previously considered exploring. What would he do?

TheKnightsFury:After allowing Jayson to bandage up its leg with his ripped shirt, the Rockruff took a few shaky steps before gingerly sitting back down. It wasn’t going to be able to get very far in this state, but fortunately it could sense the trainer’s good intentions by now and allowed Jayson to carry it. With Ajax’s dim light, Jayson was able to make out two different paths to leave the cave. He sent Tomoe the Wimpod ahead to scout out the right path and they would follow shortly behind. Tomoe wasn’t able to venture off too far without stubbing her mandibles on a rock as visibility away from Ajax was just too difficult, so she remained as close to her trainer as possible.

As they walked down the path to the right, eventually the slope turned into a slight incline, and they finally came across the stone staircase that they had originally come down when entering the cave. Brimming with confidence that he was able to help guide the group down the right path, Ajax’s luminous bulb grew much brighter, so that they could see all around them. Congratulations, Ajax has successfully learned Flash! The group quickly ascended the stairs, where they found Madoka’s Lunatone hovering silently at the top, its watchful red eye having observed Jayson and his Pokemon from afar the entire time.

With an injured Pokemon still in hand, Jayson passed through the shrine building with little time to waste where he found Madoka back out on the front porch sweeping the shrine stairs. “Oh! You’re back already! Did something happen?” she asked while looking up. On either side of the staircase Madoka’s Lycanrocs continued to rest, but they both stared at Jayson as they picked up the Rockruff’s scent. The fur on both of their backs immediately bristled. Neither Lycanroc took an aggressive stance, but something about the young pup put them both on alert. “Oh my gosh, that poor creature, is it okay? Quick, let’s bring it back to my cabin so we can treat it,” Madoka added, leading the way. Lala the Midday Lycanroc remained on her pedestal ever-alert along with Lulu her Midnight-formed sister who was unusually awake for this time of day.

Once inside Madoka’s cabin, she quickly ushered Jayson over to a counter where she had him place the injured Rockruff. “There, there,” she cooed as she gently examined the extent of the injury. Fortunately the injury wasn’t nearly as bad as she initially thought, and so Madoka quickly sprayed Rockruff’s leg with a Super Potion. “A little bit of rest and it should be good as new!” Deciding it was best to not leave the wounded pup alone, Jayson volunteered to remain and keep watch over it while it rested. It wasn’t the most exciting way to spend the day, but Jayson was happy to nurse the creature’s injury. As the afternoon grew long, Madoka eventually returned to her cabin and volunteered to cook Jayson and his Pokemon some dinner.

The sun had begun to set when Rockruff finally roused from its slumber. It looked around at its surroundings and sniffed the air before testing out its leg. As it discovered that it was able to put pressure on its leg and move around freely, the Rockruff’s tail wagged excitedly. It scampered over to Jayson and gave him an appreciative lick on the leg. After sharing its thanks with Madoka as well, a tasty curry and rice dinner was served as well as some food for Rockruff and Jayson’s Pokemon. Once dinner was over, Madoka had begun to wash the dishes. Rockruff’s ears flattened backwards as it looked around nervously. It was at that moment that Jayson and Madoka heard a chilling and haunting sound echo across the mountainside.

Madoka immediately stopped what she was doing and rushed outside. Jayson and the others quickly followed. The sun was just finishing up its final moments of glimmering light as it disappeared beyond the mountain’s horizon. As the moon rose in the sky in the opposite direction, it had an eerie orange-reddish tint to it. Lulu and Lala were still on their usual stone pedestals, but they were both standing at attention, on complete alert. Neither of them joined in on the howl that continued to echo from up the mountainside. Rockruff immediately took off, its leg not bothered in the slightest anymore. “This isn’t good,” Madoka stated, biting her lip. “Something’s upset the balance of the mountain’s pack. From the look of Lulu and Lala, I think it might be best if I stay back and keep watch over things here at the shrine. You better hurry after Rockruff!” The small pup was fast, and it had already gone up the hiking trail that Jayson had previously considered exploring. What would he do?

Jayson was delighted to see Ajax finally master his technique, just in time to lead them out of the cave. Jayson made his way up the stairs, holding the Rockruff in his arms. He was surprised how quickly the young pup trusted him, he'd expected it to be much more standoffish, especially considering its injuries. Thankfully Madoka was waiting for them and quickly treated the Rockruff's injuries. Her Lycanroc acted strange in the pup's presence, a curious development and one Jayson would certainly keep an eye on. Jayson stayed with the Rockruff as it rested, making sure its condition didn't worsen. Late in the evening they were treated to a meal, which Jayson hungrily devoured. Not long after they finished their food, an eerie howl sounded out from the mountain.

They all rushed outside, the Rockruff was quick to its feet, confident its leg was all but fully healed. It tore off up the mountain path like a Zubat out of hell. Madoka quickly liked the information together, a pack of wild Lycanroc that lived on the mountain were acting strange, Lulu and Lala weren't acting themselves ever. The trial leader insisted she remain to protect the shrine, meaning it would be up to Jayson to protect the Rockruff and sort out the mountain pack.

"Come on Ajax and Tomoe", Jayson called to his Pokemon. Tomoe scrambled up his leg and clung to his back, while Ajax was already sprinting off after the young Rockruff. "Ajax be prepared to light our way with a Flash if it gets too dark, we can't afford to lose track of Rockruff." Jayson was at full flight as he raced up the trail, hopefully closing in on the runaway Rockruff.

Cloud Forest: A dense forest that surrounds the base of the mountain. The trees are home to many kinds of bug, grass, and bird Pokemon as well as many others. A woodcutter’s cabin is home to one of the trial leaders for the Galea Foothills. A Mossy Rock can be found deep within the forest. (Please reply in limegreen)

This forest was pretty. That was the boy's first thought as he walked through it. Pretty. Teddy heard this place was pretty from Uncle Kyle, but he didn't know it was this pretty. It was calm. He could think and wander. Dream as he walked through the woods. He liked that, he really liked that. The quiet here, he liked that. He wished he could bring Daddy here, he really wish he could. Even so he never has really met Daddy, Teddy was sure Daddy would like this place. After all, if Uncle Kyle liked this place, surely Daddy would too.

The small boy stuck to the path through the Cloud Forest. He didn't want to run into any scary people or scary monsters. Sure, he did have some of Uncle Kyle's Pokemon with him, and of course Gan. Yet, he wasn't comfortable with battles. He didn't like hurting things. When he hurt things... something awoken in him. Something scary. Teddy didn't like that scary part. He didn't like scary things. He had already seen enough scary things. His last house... before Uncle Kyle and Uncle Stan... was scary, If it wasn't for Big Bro... Well he probably would've cried every day.

The ginger hugged his Stuffy tight. He hoped Big Bro was okay. Even if Big Bro wasn't his real brother, that didn't matter to him. Big Bro was always there for him when the scary people fought. Big Bro comforted him through the screaming and yelling. Big Bro gave him Stuffy. Stuffy still smelled like Big Bro.... It was comforting. Teddy wondered if he would see Big Bro again. He hoped so.

At this point, Teddy found a small clearing. No one seemed to be there. It felt.. safe. He could see a patch of sunlight. He was starting to feel tired. He wanted to sleep. He never was the most active child. He would rather sleep and dream. The world his mind created was often more fun than the world around him. He yawned, and started thinking about the fun his head created for him. Surely Gan would protect him while he slept. Setting Stuffy down on the grass, Teddy rummaged through the quite over sized satchel he had until he found Gan's Pokeball. Pressing the button, the overprotective Jolteon looked at his surroundings and gave a happy bark to his trainer.

"Gan Gan... I'm sleepy. Can you make sure I'm safe?" Teddy yawned as he pulled his Teddiursa hoodie's hood over his head. He felt safe, looking like a Pokemon as he slept. He loved Teddiursa so much. It was cute to him. Sure, a lot of Pokemon were cute, but he liked Teddiursas the best. Next to Ganymede of course. He loved the Jolteon with all the love his small heart could hold.

Gan gave him an assuring bark, and nudged Teddy towards Stuffy. The small boy cuddled up next to the pillow, taking in the smells around him. Grassy and sweet. He could feel the sun warming his body. He was... so sleepy... So so sleepy. He closed his eyes, and drifted off into sleep. When his nap was done... He would explore the Cloud Forest some more.

TheKnightsFury:Alongside Ajax and Tomoe, Jayson darted up the mountain path in pursuit of the Rockruff. For a creature that had been badly injured just hours ago, it was displaying an almost supernatural level of resiliency. The sky above had turned a deep purple as the sun disappeared across the horizon and the daylight was quickly following. Visibility was getting worse by the minute as stars began to pop up all across the night sky, so Ajax supported the group with his newly mastered Flash technique.

Another haunting howl echoed across the mountainside as they progressed up the steep and rocky path. As Jayson and his Pokemon came to a bend in the path, they stopped for a moment to catch their breaths. The moon had begun to turn a more ominous red in color by each passing minute as it rose further into the sky. With no time to lose, they briskly continued up the path, offering only the bare minimum of caution to make sure they didn’t slip on any loose rocks. Rockruff could be charging headfirst into some serious danger, so the sooner they retrieved it the better.

It was at long last that Jayson and his Pokemon finally caught up to the young brown pup. It was standing still like a statue in the middle of a circular clearing in the path. Tall, jagged rock formations encircled three quarters of the path while a wall of dense pine trees stood beyond the trail before them. As Jayson took a moment to catch his breath, he was relieved to finally reach the Rockruff before it had befallen any other danger. Or so he thought. As he reached out to pet the canine, he could see that Rockruff was on high alert and didn’t even flinch in reaction to his contact. That was when he finally realized; it was eerily silent up here. No howls or any other sounds seemed to fill the air like before.

As he looked back up, a tall shadow stood perched atop one of the surrounding rock formations. Piercing red eyes glowed in the moonlight. The figure leapt down into the clearing and emitted a low growl. It had a reddish fur coloration and stood upright on two legs; much like Madoka’s Lulu, it was unmistakably a midnight form Lycanroc. From the look of things, it appeared to be alone, likely on a reconnaissance mission for the pack. If it were to alert others to their location with a howl, things could turn ugly fast. What will Jayson do?

TheKnightsFury:Alongside Ajax and Tomoe, Jayson darted up the mountain path in pursuit of the Rockruff. For a creature that had been badly injured just hours ago, it was displaying an almost supernatural level of resiliency. The sky above had turned a deep purple as the sun disappeared across the horizon and the daylight was quickly following. Visibility was getting worse by the minute as stars began to pop up all across the night sky, so Ajax supported the group with his newly mastered Flash technique.

Another haunting howl echoed across the mountainside as they progressed up the steep and rocky path. As Jayson and his Pokemon came to a bend in the path, they stopped for a moment to catch their breaths. The moon had begun to turn a more ominous red in color by each passing minute as it rose further into the sky. With no time to lose, they briskly continued up the path, offering only the bare minimum of caution to make sure they didn’t slip on any loose rocks. Rockruff could be charging headfirst into some serious danger, so the sooner they retrieved it the better.

It was at long last that Jayson and his Pokemon finally caught up to the young brown pup. It was standing still like a statue in the middle of a circular clearing in the path. Tall, jagged rock formations encircled three quarters of the path while a wall of dense pine trees stood beyond the trail before them. As Jayson took a moment to catch his breath, he was relieved to finally reach the Rockruff before it had befallen any other danger. Or so he thought. As he reached out to pet the canine, he could see that Rockruff was on high alert and didn’t even flinch in reaction to his contact. That was when he finally realized; it was eerily silent up here. No howls or any other sounds seemed to fill the air like before.

As he looked back up, a tall shadow stood perched atop one of the surrounding rock formations. Piercing red eyes glowed in the moonlight. The figure leapt down into the clearing and emitted a low growl. It had a reddish fur coloration and stood upright on two legs; much like Madoka’s Lulu, it was unmistakably a midnight form Lycanroc. From the look of things, it appeared to be alone, likely on a reconnaissance mission for the pack. If it were to alert others to their location with a howl, things could turn ugly fast. What will Jayson do?

They'd followed the trail into the night, Jayson was thankful for Ajax's training as the Grass types new move illuminated their surroundings when the sun finally set beyond the horizon. Eventually they caught up with the fast recovering Rockruff, the young pup stood motionless, bathed in the light of eerie red moon. The clearing in which it stood was large, surrounded on three sides jagged rock formations. A forest was visible on the other side of the rocks, but more importantly, a Lycanroc sat atop one of the stone pillars. The Midnight Lycanroc was silent and alone, likely a scout sent ahead of the pack.

Tomoe begin to shiver in fear, sending a chill down Jayson's spine. Ajax held a type advantage over the Lycanroc but he likely wouldn't be able to handle it alone. Tomoe was on a level field with the Rock type, holding an advantage over it with her Water typing and being exposed by her Rock type weakness. They'd been working on overcoming her fearful nature. Most of the time she was just scared of interacting with other Pokemon. When it came to battles, she normally became filled with excitement, but for some reason she wasn't feeling it. "Come on now Tomoe", Jayson coerced. "Rockruff was hurt when we found it, you don't want it to get hurt again do you?" Jayson felt the Wimpod scuttle down his leg. She continued to scuttle out in front of him, still shaking in fear. "You don't have to be afraid Tomoe, Ajax is with you and you're more than capable of holding your own. Show us how brave you can really be!"

Suddenly the small bug began to glow, startling Ajax as she begins to shine brighter than his flash. Tomoe drastically increases in size, rising onto two legs and sprouting six arms. Two of the arms were much larger than the others, sporting two large claws. As the light faded, Jayson was treated to the image of her new form, Tomoe had evolved into a Golisopod!

Tomoe evolved into a Golisopod!

Tomoe assessed her new assets, no longer shaking in fear as she realizes the amount of strength she had just gained. Jayson was also much more confident, sure that with her new strength, Tomoe would be more than capable of dispatching the lone Lycanroc.

"Alright Tomoe, grab it with a shockingly fast First Impression before it can get away. Scald it then slash across it with a Razor Shell! Ajax you get in there as well, stick a Leech Seed on it then charge in with an Iron Head. Follow up with a Giga Drain to sap away its strength."

Maskerade: The girl and her Musharna made their way up the steps of the gazebo. She looked to be floating herself with how lightly she stepped across the wooden planks. She took a seat on a fluffy cushion that lined the benches of the gazebo and put her hat back on. You enter the gazebo as well, drawn by her mysterious nature. There’s plenty of room for you to sit as well, but the girl doesn’t make any indication of whether or not you are welcome to do so.

“Hm…” The girl sighs. She absentmindedly runs her hand across some of the vines that wound themselves around the gazebo columns. The look in her eyes tells you that she is in some far-off day dream. Did she even remember you were still here? The Musharna floats by you, and as you get a whiff of its pink smoke you feel a sense of calmness. It hums another low note and releases more of the sweet-smelling smoke, and its making you feel rather tired. You yawn, and begin to find it hard to stand. Before you fall down, you take a seat on a nearby cushion, relaxing as you sink into it.
“You’re using Future Sight aren’t you…” The girl stands and approaches her Pokemon, placing a hand over the area that smoke is pouring from. “Tsk tsk, we haven’t even asked him yet.”
“Muuu…” The Musharna blushes a bit and floats away. The girl approaches you and give a small curtsey.
“I apologize, Ole sometimes gets ahead of himself.” She smiles and closes her eyes again. “You’re here for the trial? I must ask, will you allow my Musharna to assist you? I promise it won’t hurt, it’s quite nice really. We can’t start unless we’re in the right setting, you see.”

Hush wasn’t a pleasant man. There were countless more things that he hated than things he liked. Chief among the ones he despised was the feeling of being toyed with, and he could tell that was exactly what the damn Musharna was trying to do.

D-damn it… I can’t stay…. awake….....

He found himself helplessly – pathetically – sliding down to take an almost-involuntary sit, his body giving in to the hypnotic smoke produced by Ole. Had he lost his edge? He never would’ve allowed this to happen during his time in the army or as an independent contractor – or “filthy mercenary”, as they used to call him instead – but now, faced with this seemingly harmless little girl, he had allowed her Pokemon to incapacitate him in comically easy fashion. It infuriated him, and yet, all he could do was drift off into near-unconsciousness.

The only reason he doesn’t completely succumb to sleep is that, suddenly, smoke stops coming out. Drowsily, he reopens his eyes to find that the little girl has blocked Musharna’s mist emission, and is greeting him with that nauseatingly innocent and happy smile.

She… knows I’m here for the Trial? But how? Did… did I reveal any critical information while I was out? Who the hell is this demon child?!

He had to admit, he felt both scared and thrilled – and he’d felt neither for the longest of times. Even if he was being messed with, there was no denying the girl and her Pokemon had earned his undivided attention.

He shook his head, trying to grab hold of the mental faculties he’d lost to the sleep-inducing smoke, before feeling confident enough in his degree of consciousness to give a coherent reply.

“Your Musharna’s definition of assistance is curious; I’d be more inclined to call it involuntary hypnotism, but who am I to nitpick,” Hush finally replied, back to his snarky self. “I fail to see how being passed out in a drug-induced dream state will help me in the Trial, but you know what?...”

He should’ve given it more thought. Back in the army, with its million rules, regulations and codes of conduct, he would have been advised to take the girl hostage for interrogation after that cheeky attempt at hypnotism… but he lived by his own rules now, and he craved excitement – no matter the cost.

“… Bring it. I don’t know who the hell you are, little girl, but go ahead and show me how deep the rabbit hole goes.”

Naruxami:Isaac and Vinny’s tasty lunch as well as the handsome ranger were now in the rearview mirror as they trekked across the plains, heading eastward towards Galea Town. Isaac had been fortunate enough to escape this incident without a citation, and more importantly his life, and to top it all off, he now had a killer story to tell someday in the future. After a short while of walking, their new destination was now in sight; a place that would hopefully be devoid of bears or anything else of the like. Isaac was one to pamper his beloved Leafeon, and if she wanted to stop to smell the roses, then that’s what they were going to do.

The Rose Garden was an architectural masterpiece; renowned for its masterful landscaping and flawless upkeep by some of the best gardeners in all of Fizzytopia. Being located so close to town, the garden was really an ideal tourist spot as people travelled across continents just to view it in person. As Isaac and Vinny entered the garden, Vinny was drawn to the myriad of colors that filled each flowerbed. They headed deeper into the garden, enamored by the tall sunflowers that gazed down at them, each one shining nearly as brightly as the sun above.

Continuing their stroll through the garden, Isaac spotted a teenage girl toiling away as she ripped weeds up from a flowerbed. There was something out of place about her, which Isaac determined to be her clothing. The girl sported a long pink ponytail held up by a scrunchie on the side of her head while she wore some trendy and stylish clothing; a white blouse with a black skirt and a pink sweatshirt tied around her waist. She wore a frilly pink plaid apron to prevent her clothes from getting dirty and had a pair of matching gloves on her hands. A number of accessories and jewelry completed the look that made her appear more like an idol than a gardener.

As the girl turned around to see who the passerby was, her jaw dropped. “Ohmygod, ohmygod,” she whispered, covering her mouth with her hands. In seemingly the blink of an eye, the girl had ripped off her apron and gloves, pulled a compact mirror out of her purse to make sure her makeup hadn’t run, and whipped out her cellphone, covered in a pink case with a few decorative straps dangling from one of the corners. “Ugly Casanova? Is that really you?” she gasped, getting to her feet as she called out Isaac’s old stage name. “I am like, I huge fan of yours! I have all of your albums!” The girl blushed and straightened out her skirt before fixing her hair. “My name is Peony; I’m a gardener here. What brings you to the Rose Garden? If you don’t mind, could I get a selfie with you pretty please?” The girl was going a mile a minute as she could barely contain her excitement. So much so that she didn’t notice some of the weeds in the flowerbed rustling as an Oddish emerged, ready to attack the one who was disrupting its slumber.

Vinny was always one for flowers, not to say that Isaac wasn't. Following his cleanse he needed a hobby, and gardening seemed the easiest. It was ironic of course, that Mr. "Clad in Green almost all the time" had a rather green thumb. But Isaac took pride in his flowers. They brought him peace when nothing else would, and at least it kept his hands somewhat busy. Vinny had always admired his gardens, which probably had something to do with her choice in becoming a Leafeon. Vinny's mind today however, was somewhere else. After recently giving birth to her daughter, and of course taking in the young Rowlet Luca as her own --- all she could do was thinking about their well-being. Upon walking deeper into the garden, Isaac released Vinny's daughter from her Pokeball as well as her somewhat oddly shaped adoptive brother.

"Vee!" Called Ahri, the young Eevee almost as headstrong as her mother had been when she was younger. She ran forwards quickly, smelling each and every flower that she could. Vinny groaned in protest, not wanting her daughter to get hurt or lost in the bountiful fields of flowers. Luca, however, was simply perched on his adoptive mother's back. He was much more shy than his sister, preferring to simply stand back and watch as the energetic Eevee ran full force ahead.

"Don't worry, Vin." Remarked Isaac, smiling while watching Ahri run forward and smell every rose in her path. "Ahri's a good kid, and nothing will hurt her here." Vinny seemed unsure, her ears folding back in frustration. Isaac bent down, patting her on the head and giving Luca a scratch under his chin. The small owl cooed, puffing out his feathers as though he was relaxing. Isaac smiled, it really was peaceful here.

As Isaac let Ahri run freely, using up her energy as fast as she possibly could, he noticed a young girl tending to the flowerbeds. He couldn't help but feel that the girl looked off in her environment, she most certainly fitted the profile of the girls he used to see modeling in agencies in Unova more than she fit the idea of a gardener. He shrugged it off, he was sure he didn't look like a celebrity to those who viewed him from afar. His plain clothes were his way of hiding in plain sight. The pink button up short sleeved shirt with the somewhat plain green shorts made him look like some kind of trashy tourist --- most certainly not a celebrity. As Isaac started to walk past the girl he heard her take in a large intake of breath and quickly turn.

“Ugly Casanova? Is that really you?” she gasped, getting to her feet as she called out Isaac’s old stage name. “I am like, I huge fan of yours! I have all of your albums!” The girl blushed and straightened out her skirt before fixing her hair.

Shit.

The only thing that went through Isaac's head. It was like a gunshot, the sudden surprise of someone in this region actually approaching him like this genuinely surprised him. Sure, he should have been aware of the power and reach of his music... but he really didn't expect to find a fan in a garden like this. The girl began talking rapidly, introducing herself as Peony and asking if she could take a selfie with him.

Stay calm Isaac, just introduce yourself politely and take a selfie with this girl. Come on, moron. You've done this a dozen times.

"Nice to meet you, Peony." He said politely. "But please, call me Isaac." He gave a warm smile, moving closer to the girl. "Anything for a fan!" He exclaimed, putting on his best smile and throwing up the peace sign for the incoming selfie. Vinny watched, shaking her head silently.

"Vee!" A scream rang out as Ahri came barreling back, she had noticed the rustling from her position a few feet away and came to attack the fearsome creature that had awakened from it's slumber.

"Ahri!" Isaac called, somewhat upset that Ahri felt the need to interrupt, until he noticed the Oddish that was emerging near them. "Oh shit! Is that an Oddish?!" He exclaimed, clearly excited. Isaac adored Oddish almost as much as he loved Eevee, it was one of his all time favorite Pokemon. He gave Peony an apologetic look. "Sorry Peony! I promise I'll get a selfie with you, but let me deal with this... cutie..." He eyed the Oddish longingly.

"Alright Ahri, you ready?" He asked, the Eevee gave a firm nod --- ready to attack. "Go in with a Shadow Ball! Then follow it up with a strong tackle!" Called Isaac, causing the small Eevee to rush forwards.

TheKnightsFury:Overcome with fear and desperation, Tomoe the Wimpod trembled beneath the imposing Lycanroc before she suddenly began to glow. Her form grew larger and larger until she eventually towered over the bipedal wolf. Now as a Golisopod, Tomoe no longer had anything to fear as she flexed her impressive claws. Without warning, she suddenly rammed into the Lycanroc, catching it off guard with a nasty First Impression. Lycanroc growled at the cheap shot, not deterred by Tomoe’s new form in the slightest.

Lycanroc stared up at the Golisopod and stomped at the ground. Suddenly a Tomb of Rocks emerged beneath Tomoe and trapped her inside. Tomoe winced through the pain before shooting out a stream of Scalding hot water to clear away the rubble and catch Lycanroc slightly on the side. Lycanroc then braced itself as Tomoe charged forward while brandishing her claws. Tomoe slashed the wolf with a crushing Razor Shell, but Lycanroc was ready to Counter with all its strength. Tomoe was sent flying backwards. As she got to her feet, the Golisopod’s survival instincts kicked in, recalling herself back to her Pokeball as she made an Emergency Exit.

Ajax would not be deterred however, as he watched the battle unfold. The brave little Chespin prepared to gain a quick advantage over his foe, but the Lycanroc instantly met his eyes and uttered a nasty Taunt to cause Ajax to lose focus of what he was about to do. Enraged, he lunged forward, striking Lycanroc with an Iron Head. Lycanroc growled and swatted him away with a Crushing Claw. The gash it created stung, but Ajax bravely stuck it out and focused on restoring his health with a powerful Giga Drain. Lycanroc had taken quite a bit of damage, but it looked like it could still keep fighting. What will Ajax do?

Naruxami:As Peony gushed over Isaac, hoping he would accept her request for a picture, she hardly noticed an Oddish stirring from the flower bed where the gardener was weeding. As Isaac cut her off to address the aggressive Pokemon, Peony puffed her cheeks in frustration; not because of Isaac, but because an Oddish would dare ruin her moment. She had half a mind to deal with it in the swiftest of manners like she normally would, but she maintained her careful façade of a refined young lady before her idol. “Oh my gosh! Take your time!” she exclaimed, eager to watch Isaac handle himself in a Pokemon battle as she stored a mental file of Isaac saying “cutie” into her memory banks, almost certainly to be replayed over and over in an edited recollection about herself later.

Having previously sent out his young Eevee and Rowlet to enjoy the beautiful weather in the garden earlier, Isaac called upon Vinny’s daughter Ahri to take on the Oddish. Ahri had little experience battling, but like her mother she was ready to go. The young Eevee started things off by charging up a Shadow Ball and quickly firing it off at the Oddish. The walking weed was knocked back, having taken a direct hit before it got back to its feet and began Growing in size. Ahri took the opportunity to charge forward and Tackle into the Oddish, who was none too pleased. It cried out and begun to Absorb some of its energy back from Ahri.

Both Pokemon were still relatively fresh as the battle had only just begun. Oddish had taken a couple of solid hits before recovering a small amount back from Ahri, who was still raring to go. She looks back over at her mom, eager to leave a strong impression, before looking up to Isaac for her next orders. What will Isaac do?

[size=1]TheKnightsFury:Overcome with fear and desperation, Tomoe the Wimpod trembled beneath the imposing Lycanroc before she suddenly began to glow. Her form grew larger and larger until she eventually towered over the bipedal wolf. Now as a Golisopod, Tomoe no longer had anything to fear as she flexed her impressive claws. Without warning, she suddenly rammed into the Lycanroc, catching it off guard with a nasty First Impression. Lycanroc growled at the cheap shot, not deterred by Tomoe’s new form in the slightest.

Lycanroc stared up at the Golisopod and stomped at the ground. Suddenly a Tomb of Rocks emerged beneath Tomoe and trapped her inside. Tomoe winced through the pain before shooting out a stream of Scalding hot water to clear away the rubble and catch Lycanroc slightly on the side. Lycanroc then braced itself as Tomoe charged forward while brandishing her claws. Tomoe slashed the wolf with a crushing Razor Shell, but Lycanroc was ready to Counter with all its strength. Tomoe was sent flying backwards. As she got to her feet, the Golisopod’s survival instincts kicked in, recalling herself back to her Pokeball as she made an Emergency Exit.

Ajax would not be deterred however, as he watched the battle unfold. The brave little Chespin prepared to gain a quick advantage over his foe, but the Lycanroc instantly met his eyes and uttered a nasty Taunt to cause Ajax to lose focus of what he was about to do. Enraged, he lunged forward, striking Lycanroc with an Iron Head. Lycanroc growled and swatted him away with a Crushing Claw. The gash it created stung, but Ajax bravely stuck it out and focused on restoring his health with a powerful Giga Drain. Lycanroc had taken quite a bit of damage, but it looked like it could still keep fighting. What will Ajax do?

Despite Tomoe's increased strength on evolution, it appeared the Lycanroc was a more than capable opponent. It managed to activate the Golisopod's ability with a decisive counter, although in doing so it also let itself take a nasty hit. It then turned on Ajax, shutting down his non offensive options and forcing him into a more aggressive approach. The Chespin fought hard, dealing a couple of nasty blows while holding strong as the Lycanroc retaliated.

Jayson looked at Tomoe's Pokeball, he could send her back out but if she was already weak then doing so would likely be unwise. Ajax had recovered some health thanks to the Giga Drain and Jayson was sure the Grass type could finish off the Lycanroc. "Excellent work Ajax! Hit it with a Vine Whip, then follow with a Drain Punch and Dual Chop!" While Jayson was certain Ajax would try his hardest, some extra assistance wouldn't go astray. The Rockruff had barely moved an inch, but Jayson was hoping he could compel it to assist them.

"Rockruff, Ajax needs your help", he spoke calmly, hoping to get through to the Rock type. "When you were hurt and in trouble, Ajax helped you, he needs you to repay the favour." Jayson wasn't confident the Rockruff would listen, but it was worth a shot. They had to take down the scout before it could call the rest of the pack. One Lycanroc was proving enough trouble, handling the entire pack would prove difficult to say the least, made worse by the strange behaviour the Rock types seemed to be showing under the red moon.

Missingno. Master - Ringo's face was slowly changing as you explained the whole story to her. It went from a very normal appearance to becoming more and more disgusted with each word. "So you're telling me that some old dude is behind all of this…? Why didn't you say so in the first place!! Do you SEE this mess!?" Ringo gestures to the burnt trees and grass as well as the sopping wet clothes she and you are wearing. "Ringo, that's enough! Where are your manners young lady!? Give the poor guy a break, remember this isn't his farm and we are to be nothing but grateful for someone taking time out of their day to try and help us." Suddenly there is a familiar voice behind you and you spin around to see Granny Smith. "Sorry Gran…" Ringo sulks a bit but doesn't say much else.

"That is some very interesting information you just shared though." Granny Smith smirks. "I would know that description anywhere, sounds like old Percy is having another one of his episodes again." Granny nods knowingly as she speaks. "Old who…?" Ringo was clearly not in the know. "Old who is right! What did you just say!?" Another voice came echoing through the trees and you were soon joined by the man you had met earlier named Adam. "Old Percy. This boy described a man just like him." Granny repeated the name and Adam was holding a few berries in his hands and at the mention of that name he unconsciously squeezed his grip, popping them all and causing berry juices to start dripping down his arms. "Dad!" Ringo is appalled at seeing even more berries destroyed today, and by her own father no less. "He's supposedly in the Galea Plains dear." Granny adds. Adam lets out a very audible sigh and then turns around and begins to walk away. "I'll head out there and see if he's nearby… I can't believe this, he has been banned from here five times already!" Adam continues to loudly grumble to himself as he walks off. "Okay but who is old Percy?" Ringo is still confused.

"I'll explain later honey… I am so sorry for all of the trouble you've had to deal with because of our farm but we really are very grateful, and you've helped us so much just with the information you shared alone! Please, take this as thank you for everything you did for us." Granny hands you money along with some berries as well as a little something extra. Ringo examines the berries you now have and reaches into a bag she had with her. "Here! Based on everything I've witnessed, you're going to need these too." You add the Rawst Berries that Ringo offered you to the rest. "Alright come on Lady, we've got a HUGE mess to clean up." Ringo puts some emphasis on her words, perhaps still bitter about everything that went down. "Thank you again, you are a very nice young man and you are welcome here again anytime!" Granny gives you one of her biggest sweet old lady smiles.

Missingno. Master - Ringo's face was slowly changing as you explained the whole story to her. It went from a very normal appearance to becoming more and more disgusted with each word. "So you're telling me that some old dude is behind all of this…? Why didn't you say so in the first place!! Do you SEE this mess!?" Ringo gestures to the burnt trees and grass as well as the sopping wet clothes she and you are wearing. "Ringo, that's enough! Where are your manners young lady!? Give the poor guy a break, remember this isn't his farm and we are to be nothing but grateful for someone taking time out of their day to try and help us." Suddenly there is a familiar voice behind you and you spin around to see Granny Smith. "Sorry Gran…" Ringo sulks a bit but doesn't say much else.

"That is some very interesting information you just shared though." Granny Smith smirks. "I would know that description anywhere, sounds like old Percy is having another one of his episodes again." Granny nods knowingly as she speaks. "Old who…?" Ringo was clearly not in the know. "Old who is right! What did you just say!?" Another voice came echoing through the trees and you were soon joined by the man you had met earlier named Adam. "Old Percy. This boy described a man just like him." Granny repeated the name and Adam was holding a few berries in his hands and at the mention of that name he unconsciously squeezed his grip, popping them all and causing berry juices to start dripping down his arms. "Dad!" Ringo is appalled at seeing even more berries destroyed today, and by her own father no less. "He's supposedly in the Galea Plains dear." Granny adds. Adam lets out a very audible sigh and then turns around and begins to walk away. "I'll head out there and see if he's nearby… I can't believe this, he has been banned from here five times already!" Adam continues to loudly grumble to himself as he walks off. "Okay but who is old Percy?" Ringo is still confused.

"I'll explain later honey… I am so sorry for all of the trouble you've had to deal with because of our farm but we really are very grateful, and you've helped us so much just with the information you shared alone! Please, take this as thank you for everything you did for us." Granny hands you money along with some berries as well as a little something extra. Ringo examines the berries you now have and reaches into a bag she had with her. "Here! Based on everything I've witnessed, you're going to need these too." You add the Rawst Berries that Ringo offered you to the rest. "Alright come on Lady, we've got a HUGE mess to clean up." Ringo puts some emphasis on her words, perhaps still bitter about everything that went down. "Thank you again, you are a very nice young man and you are welcome here again anytime!" Granny gives you one of her biggest sweet old lady smiles.

This concludes this adventure! I hope you had fun, I certainly did! You're welcome to continue exploring the CG if you'd like to!

As Gavin explained things to Ringo, it quickly became apparent that she wasn't so appreciative of this information. Rather, she was furious at Gavin for allowing all of this nonsense to happen- forgetting in the process, it seems, that Aipom was behind the bulk of all of this, which infuriated Gavin; Aipom may be his now, but that doesn't automatically make him liable for everything Aipom had done prior to being caught.

Gavin was rendered momentarily speechless by his sheer frustration at Ringo's reaction. Perhaps this was for the best, for before he could utter a single scathing syllable in response, someone else spoke up. This someone else, fortunately for the sake of Gavin's sanity, told Ringo off for her (lack of) manners, telling her she ought to be grateful for Gavin offering his help at all. This someone, as it turns out, was Granny Smith. Who, it seems, had heard of this Percy fellow! Just from Gavin's description, she knew what was happening. And so, it seems, did Adam- he, too, knew this old man, and judging by the way he squashed the berries he'd been holding in his grip, the mention of old Percy was not a welcome one. As he stormed off to deal with the issue, he mentioned that Percy had been previously banned from the farm. Which did explain to Gavin why Percy wasn't just going in there to get the berries himself, though he supposed he might never find out why the man was so obsessed with Nanab Berries in the first place.

In the meantime, however, there was something to distract Gavin from this- namely, the load of free stuff he was getting handed as thanks for his help. "Whoa, thanks," grinned Gavin as he accepted the items. "And hey, don't worry about it," he added, for Granny Smith had been apologizing for all the trouble the Shiny hunter had had to deal with on this farm. "Just glad I could help, y'know? I just might have to come back sometime," he added. He then gave a small chuckle as Ringo added a handful of Rawst Berries to Gavin's load, especially as she stated that he'd likely need them considering how Dudley's Flamethrower went rather awry that one time. Not everything, Gavin reminded himself, was Aipom's fault.

Once all the goodbyes were said, all of Gavin's rewards were safely packed away, and once Gavin had left the farm with Miror and Dudley in tow, he plucked the Nest Ball off his belt, enlarged it, and just stared at it.

"Marac?" said Miror.

"...I could just release it," Gavin murmured. "But that wouldn't do any good. That'd just be inflicting this Aipom back on this area all over again. And these are damn good people, I can't do that to them. Nah... And besides, I don't want that little shit thinking it got the better of me." Gavin shook his head. "Y'know what? If I can train this Aipom, I can train friggin' anything," he decided. "OK! Aipom, get out here!" he exclaimed, throwing the Nest Ball.

In a flash of light, Aipom reappeared, looking up at his new Trainer. "Aipom?" he murmured. Gavin opened his mouth to address Aipom, but before he could do so, Aipom had run up, plucked Miror's Poké Ball off of Gavin's belt, and started to run away.

"Wh- why, you little- get the fuck back here, Aipom!" Gavin exclaimed, breaking out into a run. Miror wasn't too far behind, but Gavin did at least have the good sense to withdraw Dudley before chasing down Aipom. Miror gave a small sigh. Having Aipom as a teammate was sure to be an interesting experience, to put it nicely...

*Adventure Complete!*

*Obtained 500!*

*Gavin obtained a TM83 Natural Gift!*

*Obtained 5 Lum Berries!*

*Obtained 5 Sitrus Berries!*

*Obtained 5 Rawst Berries!*

Thanks for the adventure, Patches! I had fun with this as well, and it's gonna continue to be fun, with Gavin trying to work with his new Aipom. And speaking of working with new characters...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sandaa

The Galea Foothills:
The Galea Foothills covers the greatest expanse of land in the Cloud Garden. Beginning with Galea Town, adventurers may follow along the Starline River up across the plains and into the mountain. Other areas include the Starline River, the Rose Garden, Galea Plains, Cloud Forest, and the Stone Shrine. The boundary of the foothills lies at the Starline Falls, a giant waterfall that cascades down from the incline above.

Stone Shrine: A small shrine made out of stone. It is located next to the base of the Starline Falls on a small plateau against the mountainside with jagged rock formations. Many rock and ground type Pokemon can be found on the small hiking trails around the shrine. The shrine is home to one of the trial leaders for the Galea Foothills. (Please reply in lightslategray)

While Gavin Golurkson did his best to keep both his temper and his Aipom in check, his travels took him away from Cloud Garden for the time being, while at the same time, someone else was arriving in Cloud Garden. A young teenage girl, pale with black hair, dressed in brightly colored clothing, wearing absolutely nothing on her feet, whose PokéGear was playing strange and eerie sounds. But if these sounds were strange or unnerving to Terri Alph at all, she had the strangest way of showing it. She had her usual mysterious smile on her face, and she was even humming along with it.

The Swoobat flying by Terri's side seemed rather interested by the sounds as well. "I thought PokéGear radios could only pick this up near the Ruins of Alph?" she asked.

"Normally, yes," nodded Terri. Luna was actually speaking in Swoobat language rather than communicating telepathically, but for reasons unknown, this didn't seem to impair Terri's understanding of the Swoobat's words in any way. "I got Dad to modify mine before I left home. It's nice, isn't it?" she added. "They're singing."

"It is nice," Luna agreed, smiling.

Terri smiled back. She and Luna had only met recently, but the two already seemed like the best of friends. "So, shall we keep looking for that shrine?" she asked Luna. "I like the idea of seeing how well we would do with these trials."

"As do I," responded Luna, and with nothing else needing to be said on the matter, they continued onward, Terri's PokéGear continuing to play, and Terri herself continuing to hum along.

__________________

My Shiny Pokémon (not up for trade, I don't do requests for Shiny banners or recolored Pokken artwork). FB team banners like the one above, however, those I do requests for.

Naruxami:As Peony gushed over Isaac, hoping he would accept her request for a picture, she hardly noticed an Oddish stirring from the flower bed where the gardener was weeding. As Isaac cut her off to address the aggressive Pokemon, Peony puffed her cheeks in frustration; not because of Isaac, but because an Oddish would dare ruin her moment. She had half a mind to deal with it in the swiftest of manners like she normally would, but she maintained her careful façade of a refined young lady before her idol. “Oh my gosh! Take your time!” she exclaimed, eager to watch Isaac handle himself in a Pokemon battle as she stored a mental file of Isaac saying “cutie” into her memory banks, almost certainly to be replayed over and over in an edited recollection about herself later.

Having previously sent out his young Eevee and Rowlet to enjoy the beautiful weather in the garden earlier, Isaac called upon Vinny’s daughter Ahri to take on the Oddish. Ahri had little experience battling, but like her mother she was ready to go. The young Eevee started things off by charging up a Shadow Ball and quickly firing it off at the Oddish. The walking weed was knocked back, having taken a direct hit before it got back to its feet and began Growing in size. Ahri took the opportunity to charge forward and Tackle into the Oddish, who was none too pleased. It cried out and begun to Absorb some of its energy back from Ahri.

Both Pokemon were still relatively fresh as the battle had only just begun. Oddish had taken a couple of solid hits before recovering a small amount back from Ahri, who was still raring to go. She looks back over at her mom, eager to leave a strong impression, before looking up to Isaac for her next orders. What will Isaac do?

Vinny's ears flicked irritably. Her daughter really did have a mind of her own and it was driving her crazy. Was she this reckless when she was young? How did Isaac put up with her? She took a deep sigh, coming to sit on her hind quarters. Luca, on the other hand, began to cry out --- causing Isaac to return him to his Pokeball. He had never seen a proper battle, and the owl was certainly afraid of seeing his sister get hurt. Ahri looked back at Vinny, a tremendous smirk on her face. She was going to make her mom proud if it killed her, and if she didn't... well, her mom would probably kill her when she returned to Isaac's side.

Isaac grinned, he was usually a composed person, especially around fans. However, he felt himself glow a few tinges redder when he realized he had literally said 'cutie' about a small weed Pokemon. He let out a deep sigh, he understood Peony was a big fan but that probably made him look a little ridiculous. Ahri glanced back at him, looking for his next command to attack the pesky weed that was ruining his fan's day. Isaac smirked, nodding at the small Eevee.

"Alright Ahri, go for a Growl and follow it up with a Tackle! While the Oddish is reeling back from the attack, try to Covet it!" Ahri gave a firm nod, turning her attention back towards the Oddish and barring her teeth to do her best menacing growl. She then rushed forward on the offensive.

TheKnightsFury:Despite her sudden evolution, Tomoe the Golisopod had been forced into an early and unexpected retreat, leaving Ajax the Chespin to face off against the Lycanroc all on his own. However, Tomoe’s departure had come at a cost; having weakened the canine a considerable amount. The Lycanroc growled menacingly at Ajax, who was still fuming over its previous taunts to goad him into combat. As Jayson called out a strategy to keep Ajax on the offensive, he turned to the young Rockruff pup and pleaded for its assistance. Rockruff nervously looked at their opponent and then up at Jayson, taking in the trainer’s words. It didn’t seem too scared of the Lycanroc before them, but there seemed to be something weighing on its mind uneasily from the howls before. Eager to keep moving forward and investigate the source, it nodded slightly and stood by Ajax’s side.

Ajax smiled as Rockruff joined him and faced off against the Lycanroc. He quickly jumped into the air and a pair of Vines emerged from his nape and Attacked the wolf relentlessly. Lycanroc Leered angrily, sending a shiver down both Ajax and the Rockruff’s spines before Rockruff charged in to knock it back with a Tackle. Ajax followed it up with a hard Punch that drained some of Lycanroc’s energy, followed by a Dual Chop, which was swatted away as a Tomb of Rocks encased Ajax inside.

All of a sudden, it was now Rockruff on its own against a very angry Lycanroc as Ajax was trapped underneath the boulders. Lycanroc was looking like it wouldn’t be able to last too much longer, but perhaps this is where it thrived the most. A sly grin crept onto its face as it stared Rockruff down, ready to completely destroy the unsuspecting pup in a sudden Reversal of fates. What would Jayson do?

Missingno. Master:It was the dawn of a new adventure as Terri and her newly befriended Swoobat named Luna made their way across the foothills of Mount Zephyria. The terrain wasn’t all too different from Terri’s native wooded home of Johto. So despite being barefoot, the young girl felt quite at home in the rocky terrain around her. As the pair listened along to the cryptic tune of hums and whistles reminiscent of her home, they made their way westward across the region of the Cloud Garden in search of a prominent location known as the Stone Shrine.

As the rolling foothills turned into a rugged slope, they were fast approaching their destination. Eventually they came across a steep incline that was shrouded deep within the trees that wrapped around the mountain’s feet. Terri’s path was clearly marked by a sign and a stone staircase that shot up the hill; her first sign of civilization in a while. Terri and Luna ascended the staircase to find a massive red archway made out of wood awaiting them at the top. As they crested the staircase and crossed under the Torii gate, they found the Stone Shrine before them; a neatly swept cobblestone path that was lined by stone lanterns on either side pointed straight ahead to an old building. To her left was a small cluster of trees while an outcropping of jagged boulders and rock formations stood prominently to the right.

Terri and Luna pressed forward down the path as they approached the shrine. As Terri got closer, she spotted a girl not too much older than herself dressed aptly like a shrine maiden sweeping the shrine’s creaky wooden steps. On either side of the staircase was a large stone pedestal where a pair of statue-like canines rested. “Greetings,” the girl smiled with a polite bow as she noticed the guest. The Midday Lycanroc to her left opened its eyes and watched Terri while the Midnight counterpart remained napping to the right. “My name is Ishi Madoka, but you may call me Madoka for short. What brings you here today?” As Madoka looked across at Terri, she could see the determination in her eyes. “A challenge, perhaps? If you want to, I’m ready to take you on right now. Or perhaps you would like to spend some time to get a feel for the area and challenge me at night?” Madoka stood there with a gentle smile and readily awaited Luna’s answer. She was perfectly calm, with the air of a trainer who had experienced many challenges before.

Naruxami:While Vinny was nearly mortified by her daughter’s recklessness, Isaac grinned with anticipation as his young Eevee was eager to continue battling. Regardless of how cute he found the opposing Oddish to be, the weed Pokemon was ready to keep going as well. It continued to frown, still grumpy from being roused from its slumber in the soil and then suddenly being attacked by this enthusiastic trainer. Isaac quickly called out orders to Ahri, who nodded and prepared to fight once more.

Ahri began things by Growling as menacingly as a baby Eevee could, and the Oddish was taken aback for a moment. As Ahri charged forward to strike, Oddish began blowing a Sweet Scent that wafted across the garden. Ahri’s vigor was subdued a little bit, taking some of the edge off her Tackle as she rammed into Oddish. The weedy Pokemon then began to Absorb some more of Ahri’s health, who retaliated by Covetously slapping the grass Pokemon with her paw. Oddish winced a bit but Absorbed once more, siphoning off a touch more of Ahri’s energy.

Both Pokemon were starting to get a little more worn down by now; neither of them had too much past experience of drawn-out battles in their repertoire. Oddish had narrowed the health gap a little bit as it continued to restore its health by stealing it from Ahri. However, the young Eevee still had the advantage by a slight margin. If Ahri kept up the pressure, Oddish probably wouldn’t last too much longer. What will Isaac do?

Missingno. Master:It was the dawn of a new adventure as Terri and her newly befriended Swoobat named Luna made their way across the foothills of Mount Zephyria. The terrain wasn’t all too different from Terri’s native wooded home of Johto. So despite being barefoot, the young girl felt quite at home in the rocky terrain around her. As the pair listened along to the cryptic tune of hums and whistles reminiscent of her home, they made their way westward across the region of the Cloud Garden in search of a prominent location known as the Stone Shrine.

As the rolling foothills turned into a rugged slope, they were fast approaching their destination. Eventually they came across a steep incline that was shrouded deep within the trees that wrapped around the mountain’s feet. Terri’s path was clearly marked by a sign and a stone staircase that shot up the hill; her first sign of civilization in a while. Terri and Luna ascended the staircase to find a massive red archway made out of wood awaiting them at the top. As they crested the staircase and crossed under the Torii gate, they found the Stone Shrine before them; a neatly swept cobblestone path that was lined by stone lanterns on either side pointed straight ahead to an old building. To her left was a small cluster of trees while an outcropping of jagged boulders and rock formations stood prominently to the right.

Terri and Luna pressed forward down the path as they approached the shrine. As Terri got closer, she spotted a girl not too much older than herself dressed aptly like a shrine maiden sweeping the shrine’s creaky wooden steps. On either side of the staircase was a large stone pedestal where a pair of statue-like canines rested. “Greetings,” the girl smiled with a polite bow as she noticed the guest. The Midday Lycanroc to her left opened its eyes and watched Terri while the Midnight counterpart remained napping to the right. “My name is Ishi Madoka, but you may call me Madoka for short. What brings you here today?” As Madoka looked across at Terri, she could see the determination in her eyes. “A challenge, perhaps? If you want to, I’m ready to take you on right now. Or perhaps you would like to spend some time to get a feel for the area and challenge me at night?” Madoka stood there with a gentle smile and readily awaited Luna’s answer. She was perfectly calm, with the air of a trainer who had experienced many challenges before.

Terri was rarely, if ever, seen without a smile on her face, and today was no exception thus far. As she and Luna traversed the foothills of Mount Zephyria, the young teen couldn't help but smile at how familiar these surroundings seemed. And of course, the strange sounds emanating from her PokéGear did much to encourage this nostalgic mood. Luna smiled as well- she'd never set wing in Johto in her life, but could tell that her Trainer was happy nonetheless, and as far as Luna was concerned, that was plenty reason to smile, whether said Trainer was Keith Masters or Terri Alph.

Soon, they came across the first clear and obvious sign that they were going the right way- a stone staircase, marked by a sign. Indeed, it was the first sign of civilization they'd seen in a while, though if this bothered either of them, they hid it well. Terri led the way up the stairs, and stopped at the top to marvel at the sight of the Stone Shrine before her.

Luna tilted her head as she regarded her Trainer, for Terri seemed lost in thought. "Thinking about something?" she asked. This was, of course, but a formality- so psychically skilled was Luna that she already knew the answer to this. Still, she enjoyed talking to Terri, and could tell she, in turn, enjoyed it as well.

Terri nodded, still smiling. "The Unown would like this," was all she said, before the two pressed onward.

It wasn't long at all before they reached the shrine itself, and the girl sweeping the wooden steps. She didn't seem much older than Terri. She greeted Terri with a polite bow, which the young girl returned. She introduced herself as Ishi Madoka. "Nice to meet you, Madoka," Terri replied. "I'm Terri, and this is Luna."

"Swoobat bat!" added Luna.

Following the introductions, Madoka correctly interpreted Terri's reason for arriving without the need for an explanation on her part- the determination in Terri's eyes speaking volumes to her. Moreover, she gave Terri options- challenge her now, or get more of a feel for the area and challenge her at night instead.

Terri considered this. She had come with the intention of taking on the trial straightaway, but she rather liked the idea of familiarizing herself with the surrounding area and taking on Madoka at night. And as she pondered this, she met the Midday Lycanroc's gaze with a friendly smile while she took out her Pokédex. A Handy808 model, standard Johto dex, albeit designed to feature an Unown T against a blue background, Terri opened up the Pokédex, first pointing it at the Midday Lycanroc.

"Lycanroc- Midday Form- the Wolf Pokémon. A Rock-type, and an evolved form of Rockruff. If its Trainer accepted it during its unruly stage as a Rockruff, Lycanroc repays this acceptance with fierce loyalty. It attacks with swift movements and the sharp rocks in its mane."

"Interesting," remarked Terri, now turning the device on the still slumbering Lycanroc.

"Lycanroc- Midnight Form- the Wolf Pokémon. A Rock-type, and an evolved form of Rockruff. Lycanroc is thrilled by battling- the stronger its opponent, the more excited it becomes. Possessing little to no regard for its own safety, this Pokémon specializes in counterattacks."

Terri continued to think even as she put her Pokédex away. Nobody (excluding Luna, of course) could tell exactly what was going through Terri's mind, unless she chose to speak up about it. And right now, that's just what she did. "I think I'd like to get to know this area first, and challenge you tonight," smiled Terri.

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My Shiny Pokémon (not up for trade, I don't do requests for Shiny banners or recolored Pokken artwork). FB team banners like the one above, however, those I do requests for.